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UV struggles with budget woes

NEW BERLIN – With Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget plan, small schools in need, such as the Unadilla Valley Central School District, are facing difficult cuts and reductions of state aid that will force the district to re-evaluate its own budget for 2012.

Superintendent Robert Mackey said many of the Governor’s plans are ambitious, but members of the school board are concerned about the use of grant money versus a reduction to the gap elimination adjustment line which was instituted in order to monitor and subsequently reduce state aid to schools.

“We’ve focused on keeping as many programs as we could intact by slowly whittling away at reserve funds,” said Mackey. “What we would propose to the state is to focus on covering that gap elimination adjustment line by putting $250 million a year worth of grant money ... the difference would be paid off in three years and would provide relief to school districts that are struggling to maintain school programs with over a million dollars in state aid cuts ... while dealing with a 2 percent property tax levy cap.”